MacPhail losing my support

[MemorialStadKid]

No I'm saying we should have acquired some difference making talent this past offseason to take the offensive load away from our younger hitters and you would have those guys already on the team in the next offseason so you don't have to add as much to become a competitive team.

Instead of having to add 20 wins in one offseason, you only need to add 10.

Now it will take a miracle to compete in 2011 and we have an outside shot in 2012 if MacPhail doesn't blow another offseason.

This offseason set us back a ton.

Why do so few people here understand this point?

MSK

[Big Mac]

This thread is a joke...but hey, thanks for the intellignent contribution,

[MemorialStadKid]

This thread is a joke...but hey, thanks for the intellignent contribution,

So is our position in the standings.

MSK

[BrunoCherrytown]

So is our position in the standings.

MSK

Every year. Year after year.

But don't worry. Magic is going to happen and all our prospects will miraculously become exceptionally good simultaneously without any serious veteran support. And then we won't have to ever give out a serious contract or sign a legit international prospect so the bevy of overly cost-conscious fans on here won't lose any sleep at night over the O's profitability.

The fact is this team is cheaply built and you get what you pay for.

[BrunoCherrytown]

Miguel Sano - no better example of MacPhail's cheapness and fear of taking ANY chance when money is involved.

I was a big MacPhail supporter up until Sano. But mixing that with his joke of an offseason was it.

[Three Run Homer]

I don't fault AM for not signing a big free agent this offseason. There wasn't a good free agent hitter available at any position we needed (1B, 3B, SS). Did people really want to see us dump Pie or Reimold just so that we could throw $100 million at Holliday or Bay?

What I fault AM for is believing that we can "grow the arms, buy the bats". This offseason proved why that philosophy is wrong--in general, you can't expect good bats to be available in free agency. Most good position players never see free agency--either their original club locks them up for their productive years, or they trade them to the Red Sox or Yankees for a king's ransom of prospects, and the Red Sox or Yankees lock them up for their productive years. Meanwhile, we're facing an imminent glut of starting pitching prospects. There aren't going to be enough rotation spots to give them all a real shot; some are going to wind up underutilized in the bullpen or traded for less than they are worth.

Put simply, this team needs to grow the arms AND the bats if it wants to compete. And it's not going to be able to grow both just from the amateur draft--the team needs to increase its international scouting and spending by about a factor of twenty, and we're not seeing enough progress from AM in this area.

[BBFan]

Schmuck's blog this morning is titled, "O's can't think of October until they're no longer the April fools". New team nickname?

Next month....."The May Days"?

And then...."The June Swoons"?

What rhymes with July?

[crowmst3k!]

Did people really want to see us dump Pie or Reimold just so that we could throw $100 million at Holliday or Bay?

The only logical argument I can make here is the obvious one of hindsight. A position that the O's thought they had depth this year has quickly become depleted to the point that essentially a AAAA guy is starting on an account of Reimold having a sore heel.

Nobody could have predicted Felix Pie's crazy muscle injury, and at the beginning of the season, he was hitting the cover off of the ball. I'll go on record as being one of the people that wanted Holliday, but purely as a luxury because at that point in time, I thought LF was locked down in-house.

So in hindsight, Matt Holliday would have been a very good signing, at least in the short term, but nobody had the clairvoyance to see that last offseason.

[Dr. FLK]

I think this season is just a byproduct of the same things that kill the Os year after year. We overrate our own prospects, so we think they are ready before they are. At the same time, we never have any organizational depth. So, when our young guys get up here and either a) aren't ready or b) slump miserably, we have no one to plug in. Having no depth also makes us completely unprepared for injuries. As a result, if one or more little things go wrong, we're doomed. And, when your best case scenario was around 78 wins, being doomed puts you in the situation we're in now.

I know we like to say AM couldn't have seen this coming. But, as a GM, it's his job to assemble a roster that can handle things like this. He isn't here to just make a few nice trades. He has to assemble a complete roster from top to bottom. IMO, his slow, deliberate, methodical strategy precludes him from doing this. He spends so much time making sure every move he makes is the right move, that he doesn't make enough moves - including the little moves. While he has gotten us some nice pieces (which no one can deny), he certainly has not done enough to give this franchise adequate depth. Subsequently, this roster really is not suited for competition over a full season - or at this point in time - even a series He has improved the talent level, but the roster still needs an overhaul.

[Roll Tide]

Who the hell else could we have picked up realistically?

This is such a typical OH post, it's ridiculous.

Are you serious???? Holiday could have been obtained for money. Some of the money the Orioles have been stuffing away for years. Rather than add 2nd tier guys or retreads.

Or Gonzalez or Fielder or some guy like that... We dont develop hitters well ...especially power hitters ...So use some of your pitching prospects to get the guys you avoid drafting.

[Brady9Fan]

As much as I'd love to kick AM under the bus for this season, which I would love to do...but as anyone thought that maybe the higher contract players don't even give Baltimore a glance anymore? Considering the players that signed/resigned this season, I wonder if the O's went after them if they would have considered coming here? Did Miggie have any other takers besides us? I'm not sure what it would take to have some new resepctibilty...but having Ripken in the front office in some role definitely would help.

[crowmst3k!]

Farm system rebuild - remains to be seen. If it was so bad before, why are all of Flanny's people still in charge?

Out of everything you said, this resonates with me the most. How in the hell did Dave Stockstill remain on as farm coordinator for two seasons after MacPhail? It's obvious that he wasn't getting it done. The biggest move that needs to happen, if he has the autonomy, is Andy hand picking adminstrative staff and coaches to create and execute a coherent and effective major league hitting and pitching philosophy at all levels of the farm system.

Patience and selectiveness need to be hammered into these guys from day one in Bluefield, it needs to be sustained at all levels, and promotions need to be rewarded based on the organization's philosophical criteria. I'm tired of guys coming up to the majors with severe deficiencies in ability, like no ability to bunt, or very spotty patience.

I agree with SportsGuy from his "Fixing this Mess" thread, and I credit him for better articulating what I am trying to say here. If the organization wants to play small contract baseball, they need to invest more in the correct front-office and minor league coaches and personnel. Period. It will save the Orioles.

[theobird]

When this thing breaks further down and we average about 7000 fans per home game for the rest of the season, excluding when the yanks/sox fans fill the place, the real damage will be realized. IMO, Andy Macphail has taken his Minnesota Twins philosophy to Baltimore. He did not have to, because when he got here he had much more in terms of rescources to work with. But that is over now because this product is so poor that he has driven his revenue stream down below the Twins level. He could have, and should have, used some of his $$$ rescources to get the types of players that could get some W's, keep some fan interest in the team etc. i.e, keep the turnstiles turning and produce some revenue. Instead of spending dumb money on a slew of guys like Atkins, Wigginton, TejadaII, etc.....which are basically the same player, he could have spent that money on a difference maker. No, its all about W's and L's this year baby. Well Mr. MacPhail, you lose. You ran around town piping your success tune, and most here on the OH lined up behind the Modern day baseball pied piper. Some on here, like Mr. Jtrea, predicted this mess. Most on here bashed him without mercy. Well, you lose too. So keep on follow the piper, I am sure he has a fine destination for his loyal Rats.

[LA2]

I'd much rather be taking our lumps with Snyder and Bell at the corners and Tillman, Arrieta, Mickolio and Patton in the pen than watching what we are watching now.

You would be taking more than a few lumps--you'd be pulverized and Snyder and Bell along with you. They are having awful seasons so far at AAA (.211, 1 HR) and might just end up getting traumatized in the big leagues. As for the pitchers, Tillman's and Patton's ERAs are 6.11 and 6.94, respectively (in 5 starts spanning 29.33 innings). It would be absolutely irresponsible to bring them up now or even soon.

[Moose Milligan]

Let me do the math for you Sir! And make it simple to undestand!

Mr. McPhail signed or traded for 4 baseball players this offseason. He acquired Kevin Millwood via trade, and signed Michael Gonzalez, Miguel Tejada and Garret Atkins.

Still with me BT?

So far this season Kevin Millwood has done well. And Miggy has been OK. 2 of 4 players have been satisfactory so far.

So far this season Garret Atkins has been atrocious. Batting a whopping 241 and an OPS of 583. 0 HR's and 5 RBI'S. Not to mention how brutal he has been with RISP!! And for three consecutive seasons has seen his numbers RBI, HR and average decline. As far as I can tell FAIL! FAIL! FAIL!

The other acquisition, Michael Gonzalez. Currently is on the DL, has an ERA of 18.00. Has saved 1 game out of 3. And in 2009 was only successful in 10 out of 17 chances. Why sign him for a closer? Internal options maybe? Come on now. Another FAIL!

So that makes 4 players he has acquired. 2 of them have not been as great as McPhail suggested they would be. So two divided by four equals 50% with my calculations.

I hope I didn't lose you BT. Now maybe you can offer a counter argument! Maybe!

Those problems are only part of the issue with this team.